Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Reyhana Patel dares to raise the possibility that UK foreign
policy may be the real issue that’s ignored when tackling extremism in
the UK

Following the Woolwich attack, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced
the establishment of a new 'extremism taskforce' to investigate and
implement new procedures to combat radicalisation in Muslim communities
across Britain.

Proscribing organisations, closing unregulated Muslim schools and a
crackdown on mosques are set to be the latest wave of measures targeted
at Muslim communities to help the 2,000 Muslims in the UK who are at
risk of radicalisation, according to the home secretary.

This is all set for failure if the government continues to ignore
some of the issues Muslim communities say need addressing. And one
subject that has been left off the agenda in this taskforce is that of
foreign policy, in particular, Britain's involvement in Afghanistan and
Iraq.

Radicalisation and foreign policy
Immediately after the revelation that the victim was a member of the
armed forces, the need to address foreign policy in the government's
counter-terrorism strategy headlined the political debates that
followed, with many individuals and groups advocating that "getting rid of all troops in foreign lands was the solution in preventing radicalisation."

While many will argue that such a suggestion is counter-productive,
what is clear is that foreign policy can be a driving force to draw an
individual into committing violent acts just as we saw in Woolwich, the
7/7 bombings in London and a number of other failed and successful
terror plots over the years. Like the vast majority, I believe that
opposition to foreign policy alone cannot lead to radicalisation; it
stems from a range of factors and one other factor which can contribute
to the radicalisation of young British Muslims is the fear of speaking
out against mainstream political views on foreign policy.

Fear of opposing the war in Afghanistan
When it comes to speaking out against the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq, there is widespread fear and anxiety amongst British Muslims of
being stereotyped and labelled as an 'extremist.'

I have always opposed Britain's involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq
and before discovering avenues such as the anti-war movement, activist
groups and journalism; I couldn't dare utter the view that the war in
Afghanistan was counter-productive in mainstream British society without
being looked at with disgust and shock. After expressing such views
during a conversation at one on my previous jobs, I was called an
'extremist' and warned by management that such views shouldn't be
expressed in British society.

I'm not alone in this. Plenty of institutions, Muslim groups,
individuals and mosques across the country are silenced from opposing
foreign policy. As one Imam in the Midlands told me:

"People ask us all the time to discuss and have debates on
Afghanistan and terrorism but we refuse because we want to avoid
anything controversial that will lead to government officials knocking
on our doors, accusing us of preaching extremist views"

As a result, hundreds of Muslim youths are switching on their
televisions where they are seeing mainstream British media headlining
with soldiers being killed and then switching the channel and seeing
alternative sources of media showing children being killed in
Afghanistan and Iraq. Where can they turn to for answers after this?
Communities cannot address such issues; mainstream British society
doesn't allow it, what is left?

And it is just not Muslims. Non-Muslims who oppose the war have come
under severe scrutiny and are subject to abuse both in government and in
the public for airing such views. Take for example, ex-soldier Joe Glenton
who refused to return to Afghanistan and fought a 12-month battle for
simply airing his concerns on what he saw while serving in the country.

I'm not suggesting that the government funds an anti-war movement for
those opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but we need an open
discussion on foreign policy where no one should be silenced for
disagreeing or agreeing with mainstream political views. Will Afghans
be better off when the troops withdraw? Was going into Iraq a mistake?
Who is being held accountable for the killing of civilians? The majority
of Muslims want answers to these questions. They want to know what is
happening on the ground, who is being held accountable for civilians
deaths and most importantly, why is there still large-scale suffering.

We need to start putting forward these questions and opening up the
debate on these answers. Open discussions could be key from preventing
Muslims who want answers to go looking elsewhere.

Taskforce needs to consult with real British Muslims

Since the 7/7 London attacks, over £200million have been spent on
policies, programmes and projects aimed at combating home-grown
terrorism. And while we have seen some successes in some areas, what is
clear is there is a lot more work that needs to be done. This is the
perfect opportunity for this government to learn the lessons of the
previous Prevent policy.

I urge this new taskforce to avoid making the same mistakes as the
Blair government by rushing to produce initiatives targeted at Muslim
communities without thorough consultation with all sections of the
community. I urge this new taskforce to engage and seek advice from
those who represent Muslim communities, who know Muslim youth, who
engage with them and not think tanks who have no credibility within
Muslim communities. Don't silence British Muslims. Don't emphasise the
need for British Muslims to integrate. Engage and listen to them and
follow this up with programmes addressing the issues put forward. It
is only then we can see real progress on preventing future home-grown
terrorists.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

The segregation by gender of Muslim students
has been in the news this week, after a pressure group claimed the practice was
widespread. Reyhana Patel, herself a Muslim, believes that gender segregation
can actually be empowering for her and her sisters

A reportpublished
this week by the group Student Rights argued that student Islamic societies
(ISOCs) are promoting discrimination by encouraging segregated seating at
university events. The study showed that 46 segregated events were promoted at
21 university campuses across the country between March 2012 and March 2013.

Segregated seating is a practice that is encouraged
in several faiths, and at ISOC events across the country this ritual remains
voluntary with many of those attending opting to sit with their gender
counterparts.

Does voluntary segregation promote gender
discrimination, as argued by Student Rights, or does it provide a more
inclusive society as counter-argued by many Muslim women? And should
institutions have the right to force mixed seating?

When looking at audience separation, three factors
need to be considered.

Firstly, Islam, in general, is against the
gratuitous mixing of men and women without good reason. As a result, most
Islamic student societies accommodate voluntary segregated seating because for
many of those attending such events it is a customary practice and would expect
the option of separate male and female seating.

The second point to note is that even on the rare
occasions where an ISOC may insist upon separation, we should remember that
those responsible for implementing the policy would have been democratically
elected by their peers to run the society and its practices, including,
presumably, issues around segregation.

Perhaps Student Rights wants not only to counter
these democratically expressed membership preferences - but also to force
participants to sit in mixed assemblies against their will?

And, thirdly, for me as a Muslim woman, having the
choice to sit amongst my sisters is all about my own space and empowerment. All
women, Muslim and otherwise, regularly feel the pressure of living in an
over-sexualised society that demands continual performance from women. Cue the
obesity, anorexia, and general panic among a lot of young women I know. Muslim
women love being able to withdraw into their separate space or modest clothing
and, thereby, opt out of this perpetual rat race and commoditisation of their
bodies and looks.

Voluntary segregation

Voluntary segregation promotes inclusiveness and
contributes greatly towards Muslim women participation in British Society - by
allowing Muslim women to participate in campus activities without compromising
their religious beliefs. As one undergraduate student at Oxford University told
me:

“I avoid mixed events if I can as it makes me feel
uncomfortable as a Muslim woman. Having the option of segregated events allows
me to participate more in university activities. What is undemocratic about
giving everyone a choice of where to sit and with whom?”

It appears that Student Rights is now using gender
as the new cloaked dagger to bash the Muslim community in an increasingly
intolerant attempt to prove that Islam is incompatible with western society.

What the group also failed to highlight in their
so-called ‘expose’ was that at the heart of ISOCs across the country, females
are the driving force to the operational success of these groups with many at
the fore of empowering other Muslim students. Take for example, a recent women-only empowerment
workshop, organised by FOSIS and the
NUS, which provided training to equip female students with the skills needed to
establish real change in their university and wider community.

The sad fact is that the more groups like Student
Rights continue to complain about Muslims doing things ‘differently’ and being
‘the other’ – they only serve to convince others of their own intolerance and
illiberal ways.

The down side of all the above, of course, is that
segregation and the ‘disappearance of women’ actually got a lot worse in Muslim
societies during the period of European colonisation – when the colonial master
(having defeated the armies) demanded access to the most intimate parts of
their conquered society – the family and the women.

How ironic that that the trendy lot in Student
Rights should be carrying on with this noble colonial impulse. I’ll leave Raheem Kassam and his
fellow colleagues to ponder on this.

Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in South Africa

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About Me

Journalist, writer and researcher specialising in issues concerning Muslim communities, community cohesion, radicalisation and counter-terrorism policy
Contributes to the Huffington Post UK and the Independent and hosts a blog on combating extremism